Short barelled fowler Q.

[The Baron]

As an avid turkey hunter, I've often pined for a shorter fowler than my 42" fusil. I've come across one option, which is a 12ga. with a 23" barrel.

Can anyone offer advice as to how such a short flinter would perform? Can I expect comparable patterns to a longer barrelled gun? What about expected shot velocity and how much unburned blockpowder would I be blasting into the woods on a dry fall day? :hmm: I'm really not at all sure if I need to go that short, but thought I'd come to chew the fat over it.

 

[vfisher93]

Try looking at dunlaps gunstock site.They have a 1/2 stock English fowler kit in 10 bore or 12 bore.That would fill the ticket for hunting.You could get it jugged choked to.

 

[Grenadier1758]

A cylinder bore fowler that short will have very open patterns. This is a short range gun. Jug choking is certainly an option, but the range would still be very short.

A 32 to 36 inch barrel is a short as I could accept and still the effective range is less than the longer barreled fowler.

Definitely consider getting the barrel jug choked when you get a short barreled fowler.

 

[nhmoose]

Why ain't like your hauling it around and shooting when in a thicket grabbing the barrel.

Turkeys being called? Length of barrel at 42 Plus inches should not be a bother IMHO.

I hunt grouse and in thickets with 2 dif guns one a 42 inch the other a 44 inch and find no penalty for them.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My objection such short barrels is the ear blasting noise. Plus the swing is difficult master. You need enough barrel to have a little 'hang'. IMHO 36" is good.

 

[tenngun]

I think a longer gun looks nicer, and I have no problem I the woods with it. I must ask if shooting from a shorter cylinder barrel will have a loose pattern then a longer cylinder bore? I've read this but never seen it tested. I had an 18 inch smoothy, that I played with but never hunted with.

 

[The Baron]

Yeah, I agree the longer guns look better. Proper, if you will, to my eye. And I don't find my 42" unwieldy at all when fowling (geese) or carrying in the woods. There have been times when I'm calling in a gobbler that a bit shorter barrel might have been nice, especially if the rascal comes in where he's not supposed to and a significant shift of aim is needed to fill the pot. I'd really like to try a 36-38" for my next fowler. In searching, I read about shorter trade guns and "canoe" or "boat" guns and then came across the 23" gun. I was more curious just to hear from folks who have actually tried one, rather than serious about buying it. I do think it would be too short, indeed.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Baron,
I would suggest no shorter than about 32-34 inches both to obtain a decent pattern and get the full force of the load. Black powder burns rather than detonates, and it needs time to generate the full force. The load must still be in the barrel to benefit from that force.

dave

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a 38" barrel on my 12ga fowler and wish it were longer. The barrel is so light it is a little hard to keep it still when I am aiming or pulling the trigger, no "hang" to it so to speak.

 

[tenngun]

Well my 18 inch was just a toy, tied a thong around it and wore it on my left side when dressed for tourist. As rifleman said the report was I pleasant. Loaded for show with 120 grains it made a big bark and lots of smoke.
A 36 is my short gun. A NWG but I do t really notice the six inches in weight or handling.

 

[wattlebuster]

I have a Caywood 12 ga english game gun with a 30 inch barrel thats jug choked full for turkey hunting. I bought it with longbeard shooting being its main purpose. It does very well out to 35 yrds or so an extremely well inside 35 yrds an I shoot large shot. #4s I also built a english style 12 ga with a 32 inch colerain barrel that is also jug choked an once I found what it wanted to shoot its a gun that I would not be scared to shoot a 40 yrd bird if I wanted to. Both of these short barrel guns are very light an are a pleasure to shoot when sitting propped up against a good oak tree which is my style of turkey hunting anyway.
Jug choke whatever length barrel you go with an take your time to find what it wants to digest an it will get the job done :thumbsup:

 

[hanshi]

My smoothbore is also 38" but I don't necessarily miss the "hang". In a rifle I would want at least a little "hang" but that's a different kind of shooting. It also has a rear sight and shoots both ball and shot rather well. I like short guns and am still hankering for an NSW "canoe gun".

 

[Darkgael]

I hunt grouse and in thickets with 2 dif guns one a 42 inch the other a 44 inch and find no penalty for them.

Agreed. My grouse gun has a 42 inch barrel. The huckleberries are thick...no problem.
About patterns and barrel length. You will lose velocity by using a barrel that is 12 inches shorter. How much I do not know. I suspect, not as much as you might think.
In general, patterns have much more to do with choke than barrel lenght....though there is some effect from velocity. The benchmark for modern shotshells in a cylinder bore is that the pattern will open at about two inches a yard, regardless of choke. BP fowlers a bit faster, I think.

 

[Darkgael]

Did some checking and found some ballistic data for BP MLers. These were SXS.
A 70 grain load FFg under one ounce of shot out of a 28" barrel gave 968 fps.
The same load from a 14 inch SXS gave 902 fps. Half the barrel length. Velocity loss at a bit more than four fps per inch in those guns.
The big differences came when the powder charge was upped to 90 grains and 1 1/4 ounces of shot.
The 28 inch barrel velocity went up to 1021fps.
The fourteen incher velocity went down to 868 fps.
A similar 90 grain load (of Fg) was used in a 36 inch barrel and had the same velocity as the 28".

 

[colmoultrie]

Not all short barrels are ugly... :wink:

 

[Mickc01]

Well my 18 inch was just a toy, tied a thong around it and wore it on my left side when dressed for tourist.....

Whoa, 18"!? That's a sawed off shotgun. Bet you got a great pattern from that. hotoSmile: (if you have one)

 

[Mickc01]

Nice!! :thumbsup: